Golf Datatech, LLC, the golf industry’s leading independent research firm for consumer, trade and retail golf trends, has released the Golf Apparel Edition of The Amazon Impact Report; a breakthrough study that specifically highlights the effect the United States’ largest online retailer is having on today’s golf apparel market. The new study is released on the heels of Golf Datatech’s January 2018 release of the first-ever Amazon Impact Report on Golf Equipment.
“As we concluded in Golf Equipment, Amazon is unmatched as a disruptive force on America’s macro retail environment,” said John Krzynowek, Partner, Golf Datatech, LLC. “And, their impact on the sales of golf apparel parallels some of the equipment products, however in other segments the results are substantively different. Our objective with this study was not to determine if Amazon is good or bad, but rather how it’s being used by golfers, what they like, what they dislike, and how likely are they to continue to use it in the future.”
Krzynowek adds, “Amazon is a complex, layered selling mechanism designed to make the buying process simple and seamless to the consumer. Amazon’s frictionless distribution systems are intended to minimize human functions (buyers, warehousing, sales people on the floor, etc.) with an automated system that minimizes human involvement. The end-product is easy to use as a consumer, but as a manufacturer or seller of goods it requires a different skill set to manage the Amazon eco-system. Brick and mortar retailers will need to enhance the in person buying experience and provide more than just a standard product at a competitive price if they are to compete with Amazon.”
The 2018 Amazon Impact Report – Golf Apparel Edition analyzes attitudes and opinions of 1,200 serious golfers about their overall shopping experience, as well as their perceptions of Amazon as a retailer of golf apparel. Most importantly, this investigation answers the question as to whether Amazon is having the same effect in the golf retail sector that it has had on so many other consumer product categories.
Overall, the report details a wide-range of key factors related to Amazon as a retailer of golf apparel, including:
- Attitudes and perceptions about Amazon pricing;
- Percentage of total golf apparel purchases made on Amazon;
- Importance of Amazon Prime in making a golf apparel purchase decision;
- Customer Satisfaction/Net Promoter Score of Amazon;
- Channel preferences if “all things were equal” (price, product).
Among the many findings of the report:
- Golf Apparel is the second most purchased golf product thru Amazon behind only golf balls.
- Looking forward, more respondents think they will buy golf shirts online than any other golf product…equipment or apparel.
- Amazon can sell branded non-logo products, but cannot sell those with club logos, and that is where the Green Grass golf accounts have a significant advantage selling apparel.
- Amazon Prime is a crucial part of the Amazon story, and even more important in golf apparel than in regular consumer products.
Adds Krzynowek, “Recent data suggests Amazon captured 89% of all online sales this past Christmas season, while estimates show Amazon commands well over one-third of all online retail sales. As Amazon is now the country’s largest online retailer, and the second largest overall behind WalMart, the results of this report are significant to anyone who markets and/or sells golf apparel. It is critical for the golf industry to monitor the changes in the retail landscape and this report defines Amazon’s ever-growing role in the business.”
For more information on the 2018 Amazon Impact Report – Golf Apparel Edition, contact Tom Stine at 888-944-4116 or info@golfdatatech.com